Thursday, October 9, 2008

We sent questions to the three candidates for State Representative District 45 (that's us), Patrick Rose (D), Matt Young (R), and Tom Gleinser the Libertarian candidate. We will publish the answers if and when they come in. Mr. Gleinser, of Dripping Springs, was kind enough to take the time to answer our questions. For the questions, we focused on the issues we have seen get folks the most riled at Dripping Springs City Hall, what the candidates see as the biggest issues facing us, and how the candidates have presented themselves.

BABBLE: Do you see the changes in Dripping Springs as a positive or negative (e.g., the influx of national chains such as Home Depot, McDonald's, Walgreens)?

GLEINSER: Although I see the changes as negative, it really doesn’t matter what I think. I’d rather see Dripping Springs stay a small town, but it is none of my business what people wish to do with their property and how businesses want to conduct themselves as long as it is constitutionally legal. I do like the convenience of having new businesses in town.

BABBLE: You are positioning yourself as the “Un-Politician”, how do you define "politician" and, if elected, what keeps you from becoming a politician?

GLEINSER: A politician is one that is loyal to Party first and their constituents second. I put Party second to my principles and my constituents. Pat Rose is a consummate politician. He attempted to thwart a Democratic process by running off and hiding in a motel in Oklahoma in order to enhance his party’s power. I will work to free people of the binds of government. We have too much regulation, too much taxation and not enough production from government. Government has primarily become a vehicle for redistributing the wealth. It must be stopped. People of all classes will benefit from my policies. Only the well connected will benefit from the policies of Pat Rose. I will not become a Politician because my Party, the Libertarian Party, is a Party of principles, not a Party of bureaucrats and money.

BABBLE: You are running on the Libertarian ticket. What defines and distinguishes a Libertarian from Republicans and Democrats?

GLEINSER: A Libertarian is a person that believes Social and Political change should come through the actions of free men and women. Republicans and Democrats think that people need to be forced to do the right thing. The right thing is doing whatever you want as long as you don’t do harm to others.

BABBLE: What do you see as the greatest issues facing District 45? And what is your position on each.

GLEINSER: The most important issue in District 45 is the same issue plaguing the State and Nation. . . Education. If our young don’t receive a quality education, our nation will continue its steady decline that started when teachers unions and the Federal government started dictating how our children were to be educated. Public education has become far too expensive in violation of the Texas Constitution which states that “it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” Our system of Education is not only inefficient, but a total and gross failure. There are any number of suitable alternatives that parents should be allowed to choose rather than being forced into our failed public schools. The second most important issue is the runaway growth of government. Year after year we see government growth far exceeding the growth in population and economy. It cannot be sustained. It is probably already too late to avoid national bankruptcy. Perhaps we can save Texas.

BABBLE: It appears that we are in the midst of yet another drought. Wells in the area are going dry, yet drive through the growing number of subdivision in the area and you'll still see lush, green lawns, vanity ponds, and water features. What, if anything, do you believe should be done to protect our water resources?

GLEINSER: The wells are not going dry because of increased development. I’m on a well, I have a “vanity” pond (which just recirculates water) and a sprinkler system. Most of the water that I use is returned to the aquifer after being filtered through several hundred feet of limestone below my septic system. One reason wells are going dry is our heavy Cedar coverage. A medium sized Cedar will consume about 35 gallons a day of water. Multiply that by the millions of Cedars in the area and you have your real culprit. People couldn’t begin to keep up with Cedars for using water. Wherever there are high population densities in the area that might impact our ground water supply, the LCRA has begun to supply water. The last thing that we want is some full-of-himself bureaucrat forcing his way onto our property and slapping a meter on our wells. If your well runs dry, dig it deeper. I’m at 840 feet and have never had a water problem.

Thank you to Mr. Gleinser for taking the time to answer our questions and share his views. If and when we hear from Mr. Rose and Mr. Young, we'll get those posted.

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